Neal on Fleetwood draw

Neal Ardley said that the Dons have plenty of room for improvement after yesterday’s draw at Highbury Stadium.

While the Wimbledon boss was encouraged by a creditable point at Fleetwood Town, Neal Ardley believes they should have gone on to claim all three points.

Speaking to Dons Player, he admitted his side have plenty of things to work on in the coming weeks.

“It got a bit scrappy in the first-half, but during the second-half more of what we had worked on during the week came out,” Neal said. “It was disappointing to fall behind in the first-half. We are trying to cut that out and it was a calamitous goal to concede. In the second-half, it was all about us being a bit braver. I stepped out from the dug-out into the technical area to try and encourage our players to get onto the front foot. If they can hear me encouraging them, then there is no fear of us going forward. It was better in the second-half and with a bit more quality in the final third we could have nicked it.

“We are trying to get them to play as a team and to do their shifts for each other. When you are near the bottom and you fall behind, then you have to keep believing. Hopefully, after today they will have a bit more belief, but it does not count as a good result unless we pick up a couple of wins.”

Ardley saluted the performance of Rashid Yussuff, who came on midway through the first-half for the injured Sammy Moore and produced an impressive midfield performance. And he wants to see more of the same in the coming weeks from players left out of the starting line-up. Neal

“We spoke to Rashid about being more dynamic and affecting all thirds of the pitch,” added Neal. “He took that information on board. Rashid was unlucky not to be in the starting line-up, but he proved that point when he came on. It is not a case of just picking your 11 and worrying just about those 11. These boys are all going to play a part. The stronger the competition for places and the more intensity that the players show in training will only be good for results.”

The extent of Sammy Moore’s knee injury will be assessed on Monday after he came off after just 20 minutes at Highbury Stadium.

The full video interview with Neal Ardley can be viewed on Dons Player.